Jet Black
is one of the main characters of the Cowboy Bebop television series. Jet is a bounty hunter and a former member of ISSP. After retirement, Jet became the captain of a converted fishing vessel, the Bebop, with the bounty hunter Spike Spiegel in search of bounty heads. Biography Backstory Jet was born on December 3, 2035 on Ganymede. Not much is known about his childhood except that his mother passed on his passion for the blues. Also, he often refers to the wise advice his grandmother gave him. In Knockin' On Heaven's Door he mentions the life lessons given to him by his father. Growing up with strong morals, Jet, reaching maturity, enlists in the Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP) and soon becomes an investigator. Due to the stubbornness he shows when he chases after criminals, he is nicknamed the Black Dog: the dog that bites its prey and never lets it go. Despite the harshness of his work, Jet carries on a relationship with a woman named Alisa, whose proximity gives him the strength to keep going. After returning home one evening, he does not find Alisa in her place, he just finds a note from her that says "farewell" and a pocket watch. Jet, torn by grief, questions at length the reason for the abandonment and promises that if the clock stopped before Alisa returned he would leave Ganymede forever. Marked by the bad experience, Jet throws himself into work, and starts to investigate a powerful mafia organization. who've corrupted much of the police force. One evening, together with his colleague and friend Fad, Jet chases Udai Taxim, a gunman affiliated with the criminal cartel. The two policemen separate, and Jet, reaching the murderer, falls into a trap: dazzled by the light of a close by spotlight; Jet is no match for a violent coup by an accomplice of the killer who shoots a bullet so powerful it destroys Jet's left arm. Fortunately, Jet survives, and Udai is arrested. Although a cell regeneration is possible due to the scientific advancement of the period, Jet opts for a mechanical replacement as a reminder of what happened to him. It is unclear whether the wound on the right eye goes back to the same incident or an event that occurred later, but at that time (seven years before the series) the clock passed to him by Alisa stops, and Jet, now disgusted with the corruption in the police force, decides to leave both Ganymede and the ISSP. He purchased a former fishing ship, which he named the Bebop, and then began to roam space as a bounty hunter, immediately receiving a good reputation. After four years of the start of his new business in circumstances that are not told, he meets Spike Spiegel who becomes his partner and close friend. The two quickly become the most feared bounty hunters in the solar system. In the series In Session 2: Stray Dog Strut, Jet and Spike, after chasing after a kidnapper of animals, come across Ein, a dog with a surprisingly human intelligence, who they decide to adopt as a pet. In Session 3: Honky Tonk Women, a dream of Charlie Parker convinces Jet to try his luck at a casino. Here the two bounty hunters meet Faye Valentine who, after a series of events between this session and Session 4: Gateway Shuffle, becomes the third member of the Bebop. Initially, both men do not agree on having a woman on board, especially an opportunist like Faye, but over time they become attached and a functional team. In Session 9: Jamming with Edward, the eccentric Ed joins the trio, who Jets starts to take paternal care of. In Session 10: Ganymede Elegy, following the capture of a bounty with a hefty price on his head, Jet is forced to go back to Ganymede to deliver him to the authorities. Jet takes the opportunity to finally clear up with Alisa, who owns a bar called La Fin, which is about to close because of the economic depression that hit the planet. When Spike finds out that Alisa's new boyfriend is wanted for killing the usurer who threatened her, Jet immediately rushed after them and, after stopping them, questions his ex-girlfriend on the reason for Her abandoning him. Alisa replies she wanted more than what he chose for her and preferred to make her own decisions, even at the risk of making mistakes. Jet then decides not to do anything for Alisa and leaves Ganymede for the second time, right after throwing the watch he had kept all these years in the water. In Sessions 12/13: Jupiter Jazz, Faye, in fear of being abandoned by the Bebop crew, flees on Callisto which causes Jet to retrieve her. During this occasion, the relationships between the crew members solidify considerably. In Session 16: Black Dog Serenade, when Udai escapes from his cell and, with the help of other prisoners, takes control of the prison-ship that transported them, Jet is contacted by his old friend Fad, who tries to convince Jet to work with him again to recapture the murderer who years ago had cost Jet his arm. Jet is convinced and manages to break in the prison and the defeat the accomplices of Udai, who, in the final confrontation, reveals that the man who shot him was not an accomplice, but Fad himself, who had turned corrupt. This is confirmed by Fad who kills Udai for revealing that. Incredulous of the discovery, Jet faces his old friend and kills him in a firefight. Before dying, Fad admits that he wanted to work on this case with Jet because he felt really nostalgic for the old days. Jet, before leaving, makes sure the scene looks like Fad died a heroic death in the clash of the criminals. This is a tribute to the man that Jet still considers a friend. After a few more adventures, in Session 24: Hard Luck Woman, the crew is dismembered because Ed, after briefly meeting her father again, leaves with Ein, and Faye, after recovering her memory and taken by anxiety of discovering her parents aren't alive, leaves the ship again. In Sessions 25/26: The Real Folk Blues, Depressed, though not wanting to admit it, Jet and Spike go to a bar to drown their sorrows in alcohol, completely unaware that the men of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate are hunting Spike. Found at the bar by the assassins of the organization, the two bounty hunters undertake in a firefight in which Jet is wounded in the left leg by a bullet. The two flee back to the Bebop where Faye joins them at the request of Spike, revealing, albeit hesitantly, she met Julia. She delivers a message to Spike from Julia to meet her. Jet urges his friend to go to the woman he loves, although aware that this may mean he won't see him again. When, contrary to expectations, Spike returns, only to head for the home of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate, and to his probable death, at his request Jet cooks him food for one last time. After the meal, Spike tells the story of his life as a fairy tale. The two friends laugh one last time together then, leaving a note of melancholy, Jet lets Spike go to meet his fate. Appearance Jet possesses a tall, broad and muscular appearance. He is balding and only the sides and back of his head have hair. His sideburns continue down his cheeks to form a beard, giving him a slight resemblance to Daisuke Jigen just like Spike's tall, lanky body gives him a slight resemblance to Lupin III and Vicious' wild, untamed hair and love for wielding the Katana resembles Goemon Ishikawa. His left arm is a synthetic, robotic limb that seems to heighten his strength. His original limb was lost when he was ambushed by a syndicate assassin and his crooked cop partner. The metallic piece under his right eye has no known purpose, but it is not likely a cosmetic choice. He wears a flight suit most of the time, but has been known to dress up for trips to a nightclub or casino. The scar on his face may imply that he has been in some fights as a cop and bounty hunter. The scar is directly over his eye, but the eye itself is apparently unharmed. Personality Jet, as the senior member of the Bebop, is presented as mature, wise, and austere. He often gives wise advice to his companions and always shows great patience for their over the top attitudes. In particular, he is very patient with Spike, although the excessive exuberance of Spike while chasing after bounties often prevents them from collecting the total reward due to refunds caused by damage. Although everyone on the Bebop considers him kind of a father figure, a situation proved by his occasional scolding for some of his companions' attitudes and him being the ship's cook, Jet proves to be considerably offended by this association as it makes him look older than he actually is. Although he may look gruff and sometimes has rude attitudes, Jet is basically a good-hearted, caring, and thoughtful man who, while hiding his feelings, has a great affection for his own companions and thinks of them the same way of a family. Undoubtedly the most reliable member of the crew, Jet proves to be very apprehensive, proud, and capable of great fidelity. For some of his attitudes he could be considered a control freak, but it is not intentional, and all the other characters recognize his choices as the most right. Jet has a great passion for bonsai and cooking (although his dishes are harshly criticized by his companions), adores jazz and blues music (Bebop, the given name of his starship, is a type of jazz) particularly the songs of Charlie Parker, and also highly appreciates the works of Goethe. As captain of the Bebop, he is very fond of his ship and greatly worries about the damage it could receive in firefights. Jet shares a particularly paternal relationship with Ed and for most of the series is the only member of the crew to take care of Ein. He dislikes Faye, whom he treats more like a burden than as a partner, but the relationship between them changes in the course of the series, coming to be a reluctant friendship. Differently from Spike, who behaves lazily and indifferently, Jet is always shown as busy and maintaining the Bebop and finding work. Despite the many differences in character and ideology, Jet and Spike share a genuine brotherly affection and it is safe to say that they consider each other their own best friend. Occasionally they are seen talking together like two old friends. Jet often fights with Spike over his excessive stubbornness, occasionally ending with Spike being banned from the Bebop, but never for long. Jet is in every way the only person whom, sometimes, Spike confides openly about his past. Development Memorable Quotes Honky Tonk Woman "So Charlie says, 'only hands can wash hands. If you want to receive, you have to give.' Something like that—wish I could remember the exact words—anyway, I think Charlie’s telling us to just do it. Ha. What do you make of it?" "It’s just like Charlie said in my dream. If you want to receive you have to give. See Spike, you got to listen to your dreams, that’s how you find your dream girl." Gateway Shuffle Jet - ''"The house specialty is Sea Rat. Used to be a staple food, harvested in the Ganymede Sea. After the gate stabilized food wasn’t scarce any more and people stopped eating it so they ran some fancy ad campaign and claimed it was a delicacy." ''Spike - "And is it tasty?" Jet - "It’s totally disgusting. People eat it anyway for status, it’s in now." Sympathy For The Devil Jet - "Damn that blues harp sounds sweet; I knew it would." Spike - "I thought you liked jazz." Jet - "Don’t be dense. I started wailing the blues when the doctor whacked my bottom on the day I was born." Jamming With Edward "Radical Edward's profile: he's a seven foot ex basketball pro, Hindu, guru, drag queen, alien!" Ganymede Elegy "When I was a cop, this was my beat. I’m the Black Dog and when I bite I don’t let go. I have no regrets about her, but I’ll settle this score on my own turf." Pictures References Category:Characters Category:Bounty Hunters Category:Bebop Crew Category:Knockin' On Heaven's Door Characters Category:Pilots Category:Smoker Category:Males